theholdersfandomcom-20200214-history
The Holder of Adaptation
Only one man has ever come anywhere near this Holder and returned to tell the tale; accounts of his life and times vary, but they all seem to agree that he was nailed to a cross, at least. After that, it's anyone's guess what really happened; over the centuries and through many retellings, there have been details gone messily awry, and so nobody really knows for sure what happened; not even those who have earned positions of power or authority know the whole story. Some say he will return on the universe's fated day; others say he decays in a tomb apart from where he was originally placed. His name and appearance have also gone through several retranslations over time; it's unknown if even the earliest recorded name for this man is the correct one. This Holder is said to be everywhere; there is nowhere you can be without the Holder. Some say this Holder "is Love;" others say you must "give yourself" to this Holder, and still others say you must "accept" this Holder "into your heart" or some other variation. To this Holder, "all have fallen short" of the Holder's glory, and must be redeemed through repentance, or cast away should they refuse. It's unknown even if the Holder has an earthly home; it is known to shun all so-named 'worldly' things, perceiving them to be subpar to the Holder's greatness. Indeed, the Holder says in many accounts that if you are a friend of the world, then you are an enemy of the Holder. It tolerates no irreverence, calling even the most meager forms of it sin, and names all other gods demons unless they invoke in its name. It may not even know it is a Holder; on the other hand, it may very well know it is one of Them, and is acting accordingly. This Holder's quest requires physical death of the body, so unless you are prepared to die, you may want to wait to seek this Object, if you intend to at all. Prior to the moment of your death, you will see in front of you a blinding, dazzling Light that comes to reclaim you for its own. The ideal exit is to merge with this Light, but if you seek this Object, instead of letting yourself merge, wait for the next, dimmed form of the Light to appear, then ask it this question: "Why did they have to adapt?" Usually, when they die and miss the first two Light forms, a person enters a three-day phase where they relive significant moments in their life, but if you ask this question, the three-day phase becomes five days, in which you must experience being each of the 2538 Objects for a short while. The understanding causes many people to wish they had chosen to become the Light instead; it is preferable to the horrors the Objects have both endured and caused. After you have been the Diamond, everything will become red and dark, and you will feel compressed, as if something dense and solid is trying to become you. Do not struggle against this. Do not try to escape it. There will be plenty of time for struggles and escapes later; right now you must endure the end of death and the return to life. After you are reborn, through a series of uncanny synchronicities, you will eventually come across a familiar Object, one that you will have either worn, read about, or been told tales of. The crown of thorns is Object 372 of 538. Prepare yourself for what is still to come.